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Montana title transfer fees
How much is the title fee in Montana?
$10 or $12
Amounts in the quoted line; read it for which applies.
In plain English
Until June 30, 2028, Montana's statute sets the title fee at $12 for a light vehicle or a truck or bus that weighs 1 ton or less, and $10 for any other vehicle. It is paid to the department, its authorized agent, or a county treasurer. A separate statute sets the fee to file a lien, a lender's claim, at $8.
“Until June 30, 2028, a person applying for a certificate of title shall pay the department, its authorized agent, or a county treasurer a fee of: (a) $10 if the vehicle for which a certificate of title is sought is not a light vehicle or a truck or bus that weighs 1 ton or less; or (b) $12 if the vehicle for which application is made is a light vehicle or a truck or bus that weighs 1 ton or less.”
The official words for the rest
“The fee to file a lien is $8.”
Worked example
Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in Montana. Title fee: $10 or $12, whichever case in the quoted line applies. Tax is left out of this example. Not included: registration and plates, a lien fee, an out-of-state inspection, county or office add-ons, and late fees.
A made-up price; every other figure is from the quotes on this page. It is an illustration, not a bill.
What other fees come with it?
- Lien fee$8added if there is a loan
“The fee to file a lien is $8.”
What are the steps in Montana, and by when?
In plain English
The title transfer statute works on a window of 40 days after the interest in the vehicle was transferred to the new owner.
The official words
“within 40 days after the interest in the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, or snowmobile was transferred to the person”
The registration fee statute prints three amounts by vehicle age: $217 if the vehicle is 4 or less years old, $87 if it is 5 through 10 years old, and $28 if it is 11 or more years old.
The official words
“if the vehicle is 4 or less years old, $217; (ii) if the vehicle is 5 through 10 years old, $87; and (iii) if the vehicle is 11 or more years old, $28.”
What if the car comes from another state?
Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Montana. That is about our reading, not about Montana’s rules.
What about tax on the purchase in Montana?
In plain English
Montana’s Department of Revenue says the state has no general-use sales tax. A county may impose a local option motor vehicle tax on vehicles subject to certain registration fees, at a rate of up to 0.7% of a value the statute defines, or a local flat fee, in addition to those registration fees.
The official words
“Montana does not have a general-use sales tax”
“A county may impose a local option motor vehicle tax on motor vehicles subject to the registration fee imposed under 61-3-321 (2) or 61-3-562 at a rate of up to 0.7% of the value determined under 61-3-503 or a local flat fee, in addition to the fee imposed under 61-3-321 (2) or 61-3-562 .”
We don’t work out tax for Montana.
What does a gift or family transfer change in Montana?
Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Montana. That is about our reading, not about Montana’s rules.
What happens if the transfer is late in Montana?
In plain English
This is about a late title transfer: the statute sets a late penalty of $10 against the person the vehicle was transferred to, tied to the 40-day grace period. The part of the sentence we hold does not spell out exactly what triggers it.
The official words
“within the 40-day grace period, a late penalty of $10 must be imposed against the transferee.”
What the pages we read do not cover
The statutes we read do not say what papers to bring to a title transfer.
They do not cover a vehicle brought in from another state or a deadline for new residents.
They do not say whether a gift or family transfer is treated differently.
How Montana compares
The lowest title fee amount quoted for Montana is $10. Of the other 37 states with a figure, 7 states quote less, 25 states quote more and 5 states quote the same. A title fee is one line, not the whole cost.
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Reference only, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with the agency. Full statement
Pages that refused our script
These official pages answered our script with a refusal or a bot check on November 12, 2026. We did not work around it, and nothing here is drawn from them.
- Montana Motor Vehicle Division, Vehicle title and registration · mvdmt.gov · refused the request
- Montana Department of Justice, Vehicle title and registration · dojmt.gov · refused the request
Sources
7 quoted lines from 6 official sources, each matched word for word on November 12, 2026. Some official pages refused our script, so these lines could not be compared with them; a figure in a statute can differ from the fee an office posts today. The state’s own titling page is mvdmt.gov.
- Montana Code Annotated, section 61-3-203 Fee for original certificate of title · leg.mt.gov
- Montana Code Annotated, section 61-3-220 Certificate of title, voluntary transfer · leg.mt.gov
- Montana Code Annotated, section 61-3-103 Filing of security interests · leg.mt.gov
- Montana Code Annotated, section 61-3-537 Local option motor vehicle tax · leg.mt.gov
- Montana Code Annotated, section 61-3-321 Registration fees of vehicles and vessels · leg.mt.gov
- Montana Department of Revenue, Sales Tax Guidance for Montana Business and Residents · mtrevenue.gov